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Loved ones, community laid Erica Parsons to rest Saturday

ROWAN COUNTY, N.C. — Loved ones and the members of community gathered Saturday to lay a Rowan County teenager to rest, more than five years after she disappeared.

Some of Erica Parson's family, including her birth mother, sat in the front of the church.

Directly in front of her mother was a small casket, surrounded by flowers.

"We didn't know Erica, most of us in this room, [but] we all feel a love and a special place for this child," Rowan County Sheriff Kevin Auten said at Saturday's ceremony, fighting back tears over the case that's weighed on his department since 2013. "I think we all had hope at that point we could find Erica."

[IMAGES: Loved ones, community lay Erica Parsons to rest]

The North Carolina Medical Examiner’s Office released the remains of Erica earlier this week. Her funeral service was the day after what would have been her 19th birthday.

The service was open to the public and allowed for the community to remember and celebrate Erica’s life.

"She needs to know she was so loved," one resident told us.

"I'd always said if they ever had a public funeral then i wanted to go. I think everybody needs a little closure on this. It's just a sad story, kind of overwhelming," another said.

Sherrie Rowell Monnell approached reporter Elsa Gillis outside with tears in her eyes. She told us she knew Erica.

"She was just precious, and this is sad. I think this has been the saddest situation I've ever had to experience, knowing her personally. It is the saddest day in Salisbury, North Carolina in my eyes," Monnell said.  "I just know that her soul has already gone to heaven. She was an angel."

The service was Saturday afternoon at First Baptist Church in Salisbury. Parsons was then taken to her burial site at West Lawn Memorial Park in China Grove.

Erica was reported missing in July 2013, but investigators discovered she had not been seen since 2011 when she was 13 years old.

Auten said dealing with the case has been the most difficult in all his years in law enforcement.

Auten thanked the community for their support of Erica, but also asked them to be patient as his office moves forward with the investigation into Erica's death.

The sheriff and church's pastor encouraged people to do their part to make sure that what happened to Erica doesn't happen again.

"Let this ceremony cause you to take action. Honor Erica with your actions," Sheriff Auten said.

"I think one of Erica's last words to us could be this: next time, pay attention," First Baptist Church pastor Kenneth Lance said.

Many people said that while the service provided some closure, they still want to see the people responsible for her death brought to justice.

Her adoptive parents, Sandy and Casey Parsons, are both serving time for collecting federal benefits for Erica, even though she was no longer living in her home.

[TIMELINE of the Erica Parsons case]

Her remains were found in Chesterfield County after Sandy told investigators she was dead. Warrants show that Sandy told detectives that Erica was buried Dec. 19, 2011.

The warrant states that in August, Sandy Parsons told a Rowan County investigator that Erica was dead and said that the girl’s body was discarded off Taylor Chapel Road in Pageland, South Carolina, near the home of Sandy Parsons' mother.

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So far, no one has been charged in Erica's death.

The Rowan County Sheriff’s Office said no information about progress of the investigation, findings from the medical examiners or potential criminal charges will be released at this time.

On Tuesday, a family member said she believes the Parsons are responsible for Erica’s death.

"I want to see them charged and not only charged, I want to see them put away and me know that they will never be able to walk the streets again,” said Tammy Gray, Erica’s adoptive aunt.

Rowan County investigators declined to share with Channel 9 the findings from the autopsy, or whether anyone could be charged with her death.

They said the investigation is still ongoing and the district attorney is reviewing findings.

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